Easter Traditions in Spain

Easter is a big festival among the Christians. The occasion is celebrated all over the world with great splendor and show. It marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the aftermath of the crucifixion. This day is not only marked with celebrations rather it symbolizes one’s trust and reliance in righteousness and religion. It is considered as one of the holiest festivals among the Christians and is observed in various ways in different parts of the world. The spirit of the festival however remains the same throughout the world. In Spain, the celebrations are mainly done in a traditional way. Many processions are held in the country on this occasion. The statues of Jesus Christ and Virgin Mary are carried in these processions. Men who participate in these processions wear hoods and long robes.

Easter Traditions in Spain are filled with ancient rituals that provide glimpses of the country’s rich religious history. The Easter Week in the country is known as Semana Santa. The festive week begins with Domingo de Ramos or the Palm Sunday and ends with Lunes de Pascua or the Easter Monday. The holy week consists of Ash Wednesday, Lent and Good Friday. The rituals and the Easter Traditions in Spain are marked with local flavors in different parts of the country.

Traditional Celebrations in Spain

Below here we provide a brief description about Easter Traditions in Spain.

Palm Sunday
On this day, people visit mass in the morning. Children take palm leaves with them and seek the blessings of the priests. In many churches, parades are organized to welcome the arrival of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. People in this country generally carry big leafy palm on this day.

Ash Wednesday
This day marks the beginning of pentinental season of Lent in the country. A special ceremony is organized where ashes are placed on the foreheads of the worshippers as a sign of regret. In Catholic churches, these ashes are specially prepared by burning the palm branches of the preceding Palm Sunday.

Lent
The Lent phase starts after the Ash Wednesday. During the lent, people observe a phase of penitence. Fasts are also observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The end of the Lent phase marks the beginning of festivities and happiness of Easter.

Easter Sunday
On this eventful day, rag and straw effigies of famous persons are kept at various locations of Almaden de la Plata, located near to Seville. These dolls are however torn apart. Finally the torn pieces are thrown into the air. Similar kind of dummies are placed in the streets of Castilblanco de los Arroyos. These dummies are finally set on fire. These dolls are called Judas dolls.

The Easter Sunday is indeed special in Spain. The godfather gifts his godchild with cake. The cake is known as ‘La Mona’. Other Easter gifts are different shaped Disney characters, toys and many other things. Another popular Easter dish in Spain is torrijas. Torrijas is nothing but bread fried in olive oil. Milk, sugare and egg are required to prepare this bread. This special bread is served with syrup, honey, cinnamon or wine. If you do not have the time to prepare this at your home, you can purchase it from bread shops or cake shops.

Latest Updated on 30/12/2010